Get outside — but don't forget to bring your phone

Researchers from Kent State University received a National Science Foundation grant to develop technology that will help visitors to Cuyahoga Valley National Park get more out of their visits.

The $952,000 grant will be used to create a mobile app designed to highlight the park’s history and ecology and to turn guests into “citizen scientists” by sharing their findings with others. The app will work on Apple and Android products.

The research team is led by Richard E. Ferdig, Ph.D., professor in the Research Center for Education Technology in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Kent State. Park visitors will be able to use the app anonymously and free of charge, according to a Kent State news release. They also will be able to log in and save information about their personal park experiences.

Kent State says the project’s main goals “are to explore the feasibility of using GPS-based mobile devices for informal science learning and to understand the impact of such technology.”

In the release, Ferdig said, “We’re really interested in advancing informal science learning in the park while also getting people involved in citizen science – a process where they contribute to our scientific understanding of the environment.”

More than 2.5 million people each year visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and visitors make about 110,000 requests of rangers and volunteers for on-the-spot information about its wildlife and resources, according to Kent State. The project will provide funding to the National Park Service for two seasonal employees to help test and implement the app in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.